Grandma and Grandpa Make Memories
For a number of years, I had one of my kids and a grandchild living with me. That not only happened once, but twice; and I loved every minute of it.
It is hard to have little babies and small ones running around the house after it has been quiet for such a long time. You wonder if you will be able to remember all of the right things to do and read their little minds the way you used to. Are you able to keep up with a toddler on a 24 hour run? Will they eat what you make for them? How will you entertain them?
Don't despair grandma and grandpa, one thing that is nice, is that there aren't any rules this time around. Remember when we had to go by the rules of Dr. Spock, the doctor and a ton of professionals that knew everything that there was to know about raising kids?
Well, this time around, all we have to do is be grandma and grandpa, because of our age, we can forget things, we don't have to do everything perfect and all we have to do is entertain and teach. Things that we are really good at when it comes to kids. A matter of fact, it kind of disguises our going into our second childhood! We can act like a nut and the grandkids think we are great , fun and witty and the kids think that we are the best child raisers around!
Grandparents can usually get a grandchild to behave, learn and clean faster than a parent. The kids will eat things at grandma and grandpa's that they will never eat at home and they can even dress themselves without help. Maybe it is because they feel sorry for us old people and think that we don't know how to help them!
For what ever reason they come up with in those little minds, God Bless them!
The one thing that grandparents are great at doing, is making memories for our grandchildren.
Just recently, I was listening to the grandkids talking and this grandma learned a few things.
She learned all of the food that grandma makes that somehow takes better than moms.
She learned that even when we are cleaning, we have fun because we always make new games to make it fun.
She learned that when grandma says, "I don't care", she cares a lot about her grandchild.
She learned that making pudding and cupcakes were some of the best times in the kitchen at grandma's.
(But man was there a mess!)
She learned that when grandma hollers, it is because she loves you and wants you to be the best kid in the world.
She learned that the crafts we made in order to pass the time, were some of the best memories they had.
She learned that the love she gave them was returned a million times over by those precious kids.
So, the next time that you are babysitting and ready to pull your hair out; rmember the memories that you are making for your grandkids and for you too.
Jan Hayner is a Professional Organizer that offers tips and hints to help you organize your life the easy way. Get her free pamphets at her website and get organized and make a memory.